I have repurposed this mailbox coin bank and used it in my therapy sessions for the past 20+ years. It is a HUGE hit with the younger students, and I still get requests from some of my older students to keep using it. I own two, and would recommend you do the same, so that you can use it in small group sessions more readily. However, you can definitely get by with one. It is the perfect size for "mailing" the articulation decks we all have (or any card from a standard-sized deck or smaller). Kids love to put things into the mailbox and then open it back up and no longer be able to see it. And, of course, the best part of all is opening it up with the key at the end.
Things to mail:
pics of classmates/staff
articulation cards
verb cards (all present tense or past/present/future)
theme-based vocabulary pics
big/medium/small vocabulary pics
minimal pairs
he/she/they + actions
singular vs. plural
If there is only one student in the session, I will place a set of pictures on the table in front of them. As I put them down I model them in spoken English as well as sign language. We can work on turn-taking if I also put a set of pictures on the table in front of myself. If I make the sets different, that is great for working on perspective-taking and helps reduce simply pointing to the pictures. The child has to realize they can't just point at what's in front of them. They have to look at your pictures and communicate in some way which one they want you to mail. If you only have one mailbox, you can simply pass the mailbox back and forth. This also helps the child realize they have to take turns. If you have two students, they can each have a set of pictures (same or different) and each have a mailbox. They can simply take turns communicating with each other what to mail, or you can have a "teacher chair" that you take turns sitting in. Whoever is sitting in that chair is the one who tells everyone else what to "mail". That way you can model both telling and listening.
For my students with hearing loss, these mailbox activities are a great way to target auditory skill development by making them listening-based activities as well. At the same time, when it's their turn to tell you and/or their peers what to mail, they can work on expressive sign language and spoken language and articulation. Literally working on at least three skills at once!!! You can make this into a listening-based activity by choosing your pictures carefully and using your acoustic hoop. For example, you might put minimal pair cards on the table, differing by presence/absence of a final consonant, vowel sound, or ending sound (ex. bow/boat, bye/bite/bike, bee/me/pea, etc.). I often put out sets of seasonal vocabulary in singular vs. plural forms (ex. acorn/acorns, apple/apples, tree/trees, etc.). Now, I'm targeting vocabulary, auditory discrimination/identification, and grammar all at the same time. You can present single words or embed them in a repeated carrier phrase (ex. Mail the ___. Put the ___ in the mailbox.). Another favorite is mailing small/medium/large pictures of theme-based vocabulary. Bonus...the "small" pictures fit in the coin slot without even opening the mailbox door, which the kids think is amazing. ***Just remember, it is only a true "listening" and auditory skill development activity if the students have the vocabulary in at least their receptive repertoire. We don't know if they misheard bye vs. bite if bite isn't a word they know/understand.
When we have mailed all our pictures, students need to request the key. Often, younger students will need help, particularly to close/lock the mailbox back up once it's empty.
Core language and basic concept targets include: your turn/my turn, in/out, open/close, full/empty, want, all done, help.
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